Author Archive: Leesa Bell

Reformation Musicians Welcomed

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Special Invitation:
Festival Orchestra Players and Men’s Chorus Singers!
Reformation Sunday
October 28, 9:30 AM
We cordially invite all instrumentalists and men singers to join our Festival Orchestra and Choir (the regular Chancel Choir plus guests - women as well as our Men’s Chorus!) Details on music and practice opportunities will be available later this month. Thanks in advance, for what will be a beautiful occasion.

Get your parts, and rehearsal information, from Marcia Merry: marciamerry@verizon.net; 814.360.4469

Final Rehearsals for Reformation Sunday Musicians:

8:45 Men’s Chorus, Chancel Choir
9:00 Orchestra
9:15 Youth Singers

Small Group Ministry

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We are excited to begin small groups this month. Special thanks to Stephanie and Kyle Bollinger, Susan and George Cusson, Cindy and Leigh Johanneck, and Carol and John Sapienza, who are the small groups’ leaders.
To date, we have 29 people signed up. If you have signed up, you will be getting a call from one of the leaders about the beginning group date and time. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can always do it by letting the pastor know.
They will have six meetings between October 15 and December 15. The initial feedback is very good with a shared excitement for this ministry. Also, thanks to Sandy Johnson for leading the example Small Groups during Sunday School.
A church is the body of Christ found in the unity of Christian believers. We are a church when we meet together and share our faith, our perspectives, our resources and our talents. Small Group ministries enable Christians to increase their biblical understanding, engage others in faith conversation, and pray together as a group. In the small group people come together to share their faith — personal faith, and our community’s faith — this is where our overall church’s faith in Christ is strengthen.
Small groups are the environment that nurtures us in faith. By being surrounded by others, just like us, we can walk a spiritual journey together. Furthermore, we can develop spiritual friendships that will make the journey enjoyable as we hold each other up along the way. We experience what it means to be a community of faith, and not be alone in our faith journey.

Photo Contest

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We Care as Friends, Love as Family, and Serve as Christ

When we developed out mission statement last year, we had placed pictures of caring, loving, and sharing of other people. We would like to change that and have the pictures reflect OUR caring, loving, and sharing. If you have some pictures of Holy Trinity people that you would like to submit for one of these categories, please do it by October 15. We will have church council pick three pictures in each category and we will have the congregation vote (somehow) on them. The pictures we select will be in the Mission pictures for the foreseeable future.
So, if you have any Holy Trinity pictures or you want to take some, please submit what you can, and we will highlight our people living out our mission in all our publications. You can submit them electronically to the church office ( office@holytrinityleesburg.org ) or submit printed pictures to Mary Samios.

God’s Work, Our Hands Sept. 9

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Plan on joining us as we serve the community! Holy Trinity’s Ministry Teams have developed five projects for God’s Work, Our Hands. There are opportunities for all of us to be the hands doing God’s work. Sign up after the service to tell us how your hands will do God’s work!
Heritage House Singers
Our children will travel to Heritage House Nursing Home to sing for the patients. Parents will provide the carpool. The children will sing for 30 minutes, then return to Holy Trinity for lunch.
Baby Goods for Lutheran World Relief
For people that want to stay here, we have baby supplies that need to be packaged for mothers across the world that will be distributed by LWR. The baby supplies are separated and in the Gathering Area. Come join the assembly line as we package the donations into each individual baby kit.
Quilting with WELCA
Another project here at the church will be an opportunity to work on quilts for Lutheran World Relief . LWR Quilts are used to shield against the cold and rain, as bedding, even as simple tents, floor coverings, or a wrap to hold a baby on a mother’s back.
The Marshall House
We will be repairing the fence at the Marshall House, the historical home of George Marshall. There are five weather-treated 4X4’s that need to be installed, numerous places where the fence needs to be stapled to posts, and a section that has been completely broken. We need a team of hands on volunteers to survey what needs to be done to complete these repairs.
Habitat For Humanity Restore Clean Up
Periodically, the Re-Store needs a cleaning as items move in and out of the store. Habitat for Humanity needs people to clean up the store (it will not be open to public at that time) and to do some re-stocking.
Giving Water to travelers on the W&OD Trail Path
Provide water to the people on bikes as they ride by the intersection of Catoctin and W&OD trail.
12:30– 1:00 Luncheon
We invite all of our “helping hands” to return to Holy Trinity for a light luncheon and to share our experiences.

Summer Concert Success

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Summer Celebration Concert

August 12, 2018--A ‘Pipe Organ Gala’ community concert was held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the installation of its 920-pipe instrument. The youngest of the four Leesburg pipe organs (the others are at downtown Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches,)  has a remarkable story. Prominent organists Terry Sisk and Steven Cooksey  showed off and explained the pipes, joined by a Festival Orchestra and singers, led by conductor Nancy Fox, and violinist Nancy Shavin.

New Member Opportunity

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Throughout the year at different times, we invite people who are attending regularly to join the church in membership. This means that you see your spiritual journey being enhanced by the spiritual journey of this church and you would like participate in the mission of the church. In short, we share the mission of Jesus Christ together. If you are interested, or you know someone who is, please let Pastor Gerry know. We will have a meeting on August 19, 2018 after church and be installed as new members on August 26, 2018.
We look forward to welcoming the new members and sharing our mission with others.

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The Gospel according to Mark 7:24-37

24[Jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Yes, a day at the beach! Jesus liked the beach, or at least he went there. Who knows exactly where Jesus stayed, but Tyre was a vacation spot for centuries and has the Roman ruins to prove it.
Tyre is about 50-60 miles away from Capernaum so that would be week or so journey by foot. Tyre is in Phoenicia, a long-time nemesis of Israel. Chances are that the Roman occupation of both nations put their grievances on hold, so that an Israelite could safely travel to Tyre to enjoy the beaches. So, Jesus and his disciples took a break and headed that way.
Now imagine you go on vacation to, let’s say, Hawaii. You had a long flight and you are ready to relax on Coco Beach. Ah, what a life. Your second day there, you get a call form the front desk, your boss is calling you.  You get on the phone with him and he wants you to work on a project for a new customer—a customer who has been a loyal supporter of your competition. He needs two hours work right away. How many times would you remind your boss that you are on vacation?
Jesus faces the same situation. A Syrophoenician woman wants her child healed. Jesus’ reaction is a little curt. Not to mention that this person’s feeling towards Israel is about the same as a native Lebanese person today. At the start, there is not much love here as this woman barges into Jesus’s vacation begging him to cast out her daughter’s demon.
The cool thing about this story is that Jesus changed. Because of her faith (the measure of connection with God) Jesus changes his mind and helps her. This story shows that Jesus has a pecking order of priority. It was to Israel first. But now we see it shift to faith first, no matter who you are or where you are from. That is Jesus changing from human to divine.

Pastor Gerry

Summer Celebration Concert

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Summer Celebration Concert
August 12, 2018 at 4:00 PM
Gala Music — Organ, Instruments, Singing!

July 23–A ‘Pipe Organ Gala’ community concert is set for Aug. 12, Sunday at 4 pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the installation of its 920-pipe instrument. It is the youngest of the four Leesburg pipe organs (the others are at downtown Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches,) and has a remarkable story. Prominent organists Terry Sisk and Steven Cooksey will show off and explain the pipes, joined by a Festival Orchestra and singers, led by conductor Nancy Fox, and violinist Nancy Shavin.

Holy Trinity’s organ was custom-built and donated by a Shenandoah Valley master craftsman, at age 78, in thanks to God for his 60 years working in organs. Most of the pipes are from Germany; the vintage oak console is from Hagerstown. All the structural alterations in the sanctuary to accommodate the big pipe chambers and components, were also donated; skilled church members volunteered hundreds of work-hours. In 2008, thousands of dollars were raised for the materials, in part through a “Twilight Tunes” series of six church lawn concerts.

The  beloved instrument is used regularly in worship, and also at public events, including by community groups, e.g. the Loudoun Chorale. On holidays, a Festival Orchestra of 25+ players–church members and friends, from Middle School to octogenarians–joins with the organ for seasonal music. This anniversary year, on December 16, a pipe-organ Christmas carol sing-along (4 pm) will be held as a community event, to mark the month in 2008 when the new organ was dedicated.

Terry Sisk, the featured organist at the Aug. 12 Gala, is a virtuoso, who has concertized in Europe, South America, and extensively in Metro Washington, D.C., both as conductor as well as performer. A Loudoun County native, Sisk began his career while at LC High School, substituting as organist at local churches. After studies in Germany, he served for 23 years as Music Associate at Vienna Presbyterian Church. He was Dean of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO). Now back in his home town, Sisk serves as Music Director at Leesburg Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Steven Cooksey, who will explain the features and personality of the Holy Trinity organ, is professor emeritus at Shenandoah Conservatory, where in addition to teaching organ, conducting, and music history for 40 years, he established the Church Music Institute. He was Dean of the Winchester Chapter of the AGO. Cooksey has been Music Director at St. James’ Episcopal Church for 37 years, and performs frequently in concert.

Nancy Fox, Music Director of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for 20 years, will conduct the celebration program. She is joined by Nancy Shavin, director of the Leesburg Violin Studio, as concertmistress, and ensemble lead performer.

The Aug. 12 program includes dazzling organ solos, exciting organ/instrument ensemble works by Mozart and Dvorak, audience sing-along, a Festival Chorus, and 20+ instrumentalists. Music students are especially encouraged to enjoy this ‘meet-the-King of Instruments’ opportunity. A reception follows the program. The concert is free. Donations are welcome.

Contact: Marcia Merry and Laurie Dieffenbach (We welcome your ideas and input).

New! Small Group Ministry

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The key to being a church is having spiritual relationships. We are to help each other along the faith journey. We all are at different places and have different experiences and needs. But as a church we should value the times we get to- gether as a church to help everyone along.

Many churches including a large percent of growing churches proclaim that small group ministry is what helped the church strengthen its mission, and in many cases, grow. People who have been involved with small group ministries have also shared that their faith and connection to the church and to God was strengthened by small group ministry. Pastor Gerry and Sandy are veterans of the success of the small groups.

What are small groups? They are weekday meetings at someone’s house for bible study, prayer concerns, and fellowship. The meetings are time specific and don’t run late. The format is pretty easy and light and the group grows.

Why are small groups important?

  1. )  There is more opportunity to talk and share faith journey and experiences (if the people want to).
  2. )  Group members realize that they are not alone in their faith journey and the way they live out their faith.
  3. )  People use their gifts and talents to live out their faith helping each other. It is not all about the pastor. People can be helpful to each other and support each other.
  4. )  Small group members encourage each other in their faith. They become better skilled in the practices of praying and thinking about God in their lives.
  5. )  Small group members encourage each other to grow. They provide the support that makes reaching out in faith less daunting or insurmountable. They also hold each other accountable in a good way.
  6. )  People in small groups pray for each other. They learn to care and part of the support is to pray for each other.
  7. )  People are able to practice what they learn in the small group and in their life with the support of the small group.
  8. )  Friendships are fostered in the trusting environment of small groups. People will also get more out of worship because they check in with their small group members.

These benefits are for each individual. In order to want these benefits, you must want to grow and you must make a commitment to the group. People have said that the group meant that they had to make room for it in their life, but once they did, their life changed and the rest of the week became richer and fuller too.

Think about it for you. Pray about it for you and for others in the congregation. This is a great opportunity to get and give the support you need to grow in faith in Jesus Christ. We are planning to start a small group ministry in the fall. Keep posted for more information.

Pastor Gerry